Universal presser foot for sewing machines



Feb. 26, 1952 M. GOLDSTEIN UNIVERSAL PRESSER FOOT FOR SEWING MACHINESFiled March 16, 1951 m T. m .V m

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Patented Feb. 26, 1952 OFFICE.

UNIVERSAL PRESSER FOOT FOR SEWING MACHINES Murray Goldstein, Scranton,Pa. Application March 16, 1951, Serial No. 215,927

Claims. (01. 112-235) This invention relates to a sewing machine presserfoot and more particularly to a variable presser foot which can bechanged or adjusted for a large number of different sewing operations.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved presserfoot which can be varied'as to width and as to the position of theneedle hole or opening therein relative to the width of the presserfoot; which may be adjusted to dispose its bottom surface at differentlevels for special sewing operations and to provide a selected width ofbottom surface in each level; which is adjustable for various sewingoperations including cording, over raising or piping or braiding withthe needle disposed to either the right or the left and zipper sewingwith the needle disposed to either the right or left of the zipper, andmay be used as an adjustable width swing foot, an adjustable width plainsewing foot, an adjustable width hemming foot and as a seam gauge foot;which may be used with various attachments; which may be mounted on anexisting sewing machine with no modification of the sewing machineconstruction; and which is simple and durable in construction,economical to manufacture, easy to adjust and neat and attractive inappearance.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the following description and the appended claims in conjunction withthe accompanying drawing wherein: Figure 1 is a side elevational view ofa presser foot illustrative of the invention shown attached to the lowerend of a presser foot bar of a sew ing machine;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the presser foot illustrated inFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 1; andFigure 5 is a fragmentary rear elevational view showing the presser footadjusted for a particular kind of sewing.

- With continued reference to the drawing the presser foot of thepresent invention comprises a mounting block II] of channel shape having.side walls II and I2 disposed in parallel and spaced'apart relationshipto each other and a top wall I3 extending between the upper edges of theside walls and joined thereto and an end wall I4 at one end of theblock, the other end of the block and the bottom side thereof beingopen. The side and top walls of the block enclose 2 a space ofrectangular shape and the end wall I4 is provided on its outer side witha boss I5. and with a tapped hole I6 extending through the end wall andthe boss substantially at the mid-width location of the end wall.

A socket I! is provided on the upper side of the top wall I3 and thissocket has three walls including side walls I8 and I9 and an end wall 20disposed substantially perpendicular to the side walls. The three wallsof the socket enclose a substantially rectangular space open at its topand at the side thereof remote from the end wall It and the end wall 20of the socket is provided with a notch 2| extending downwardly from thetop edge of this end wall substantially at the mid-width location of thelatter.

The socket II receives the squared lower end of the presser foot bar 22and the notch 2| receives the presser foot attaching screw 23 which isthreaded through a tapped hole extending transversely of the bar 22 nearthe lower'end of the latter and has on one end a head 24 the inner endof which bears against the outer side of the end wall 20 of the socketto clamp this end wall between the screw head and the adjacent side ofthe presser foot bar and has at its other end a peripherally knurledenlargement 2d providing a knob or thumb wheel by means of which fingerpressure can be applied to the screw to firmly clamp the mounting blockII] to the lower end of the presser foot bar.

A plurality of flat plates 25 which are L- shaped in plan are disposedin side by side relationship and each of these plates has one of itslegs, as indicated at 26 in Figure 3, received in the concavity of themounting block II! and its other leg, as indicated at 21, disposed belowthe mounting block and projectin outwardly ofthe front side wall I2 ofthe mounting block substantially perpendicular to the latter.

The number of the plates 25 may be varied without in any way exceedingthe scope of the invention, twelve plates each having a width ofapproximately one sixteenth of an inch being shown in the drawing toillustrate the invention and these plates are disposed substantiallyperpendicular to the side walls and the top wall of the mounting blockII].

An elongated aperture or slot 28 is provided in the leg 26 of each plate25, received in the mounting block I0, and these slots register witheach other and with the tapped hole I6 in the end wall I4 of themounting block.

An abutment plate 29 is disposed in the mount- 25 remote from the endwall i4 and is provided with an aperture 30 which registers with theslots 28 in the plates and the tapped hole It in the end wall of theblock. A screw 3| extends through the aperture in the abutment plate andthrough the slots in the L-shaped plates 25 and is threaded at one endinto the tapped hole [6 in the end wall M. The head 32 of this screwbears against the outer side of the abutment plate to securely clamp theL-shaped plates 25 between the abutment plate and the end wall It tohold the L-shaped plates in adjusted position in the mounting block.

Two adjacent L-shaped plates, as indicated at 25c and 25b in Figure 2,are provided in their contiguous faces with grooves 33a and 33b whichextend transversely of the leg 21 of these plates disposed outside ofthe mounting block and are located near the distal ends of thecorresponding legs of the L-shaped plates. These grooves arecomplementary and together provide a needle receiving aperture oropening for the sewing machine needle 34.

Plates 25 may be added to or subtracted from the assembly of L-shapedplates to vary the width of the presser foot and the plates 25a and 25bmay be shifted in position relative to the other plate to change theposition of the needle receiving opening relative to the width of thepresser foot. With the screw 3! loosened, some of the plates may beraised relative to the remaining plates to place the bottom edges of theL-shaped'plates in two or more different levels for special work, suchas the hemming operation illustrated in Figure 5.

After the proper adjustment of the plates is obtained the screw 3i maybe tightened to firmly hold the plates in adjusted position in themounting block.

The longitudinal edges of the legs 25 of all of the L-shaped plates areheld in common planes by the inner surfaces of the side walls H and 12of the mounting block and the plates are held perpendicular to the topwall of the mounting block'by the endwall l4 and abutment plate 29.

The lower front corners of the legs 21 of the L-shaped plates arerounded off, as indicated at for receiving a presser foot attachingscrew, a plurality of L-shaped plates disposed in side by siderelationship with one leg of each plate disposed in said mounting blockbetween said front and rear walls, said plates being disposedsubstantially perpendicular to said front and rear walls and said topwall and each of said plates having a longitudinally extending slot inthe leg thereof received in said mounting block, said end wall having atapped hole therein, an abutment plate disposed in said mounting blockat the side of said plurality of L-shaped plates remote-from'said endwall and having an aperture therein registering with the slots in said35, to provide a runner effect at the front end a of the presser footand the outer corners of the L-shaped plates are also preferably roundedto avoid sharp edges which might damage the work material or injure thefingers of operators using the presser foot.

' The invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Thepresent embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by thappended claims rather than by the foregoing description,and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalencyof the claims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

"What is claimed is: p g 1. An adjustable presser foot comprising achannel shaped mounting block having spaced of said block being open, asocket on said top wall for "receiving the lower end of a presser footbar and having a notch in one side thereof L-shaped plates and thetapped hole in said end wall, and a screw extending through saidabutment plate and said L-shaped plates and threaded into the tappedhole in said end wall with its head bearing against the outer side ofsaid abutment plate to secure said L-shaped plates in adjusted positionin said mounting block, at least two adjacent L-shaped plates havingtransversely extending grooves in the contiguous sides-of their legsdisposed outside said mounting block which grooves together provide aneedle receiving opening through-said presser foot.

2. A sewing machine presser foot comprising a hollow mounting blockclosed at one end and having a presser foot bar receiving socketprojecting outwardly from one side thereof, the other end of saidmounting block and the side thereof remote from said socket being open,a plurality of L-shaped flat plates disposed in side by siderelationship and each having one leg disposed in said block andextending through the open side of the latter and its other legprojecting laterally from one side of said block substantiallyperpendicular' thereto, and screw means acting between the closed end ofsaid block and the side of said plurality of L-shaped' plates remotefrom said closed end firmly clamping said L-shaped'plates in adjustedposition in said block.

3. A sewing machine presser foot comprising a hollow mounting blockclosed at one end and having a presser foot bar receiving socketprojecting outwardly from one side thereof, the other end of saidmounting block and the side thereof remote from said socket being open,a plurality of L- shaped flat plates disposed in side by siderelationship and each having one leg disposed in said block andextending through the open side of the latter'and its other legprojecting laterally from one side of said block substantiallyperpendicular thereto, and screw means acting between the closed end ofsaid block and the side of saidplurality of L -shaped plates remote fromsaid closed end firmly clamping said L-shapedplates in adjusted positionin said block, at least two adjacent plates having transversely extendingrooves in the contiguous sides of said other legs thereof and near theends of said other legs remote from said block which grooves togetherconstitute a needle opening through the presser foot.

4. A sewing machine presser foot comprising a hollow mounting blockclosed at one end-and having a presser foot bar receiving socketprojecting outwardly from one side'thereof, the other end of saidmounting block and the side thereof remote from said socket being open,a plurality of L- shaped flat plates disposed in side by siderelationship and'each having one leg disposed in-said block andextending through-the open side of the latter and itsother legprojectin'glaterally from one side ofsaidblocksubstantiallyperpendicular thereto, and screw means acting between the closed end ofsaid block and the side of said plurality of L-shaped plates remote fromsaid closed end firmly clamping said L-shaped plates in adjustedposition in said block, said mounting block having an interior ofrectangular shape the opposite sides of which hold the longitudinaledges of the legs of said L-shaped plates received in said blocksubstantially in common planes.

5. A sewing machine presser foot comprising a hollow mounting blockclosed at one end and having a presser foot bar receiving socketprojecting outwardly from one side thereof, the other end of saidmounting block and the side thereof remote from said socket being open,a plurality of L-shaped flat plates disposed in side by siderelationship and each having one leg disposed in said block andextending through the open side of the latter and its other legprojecting laterally from one side of said block substantiallyperpendicular thereto, and screw means acting between the closed end ofsaid block and the side of said plurality of L-shaped plates remote fromsaid closed end firmly clamping said L-shaped plates in adjustedposition in said block, said mounting block having an interior ofrectangular shape the opposite sides of which hold the longitudinaledges of the legs of said L-shaped plates received in said blocksubstantially in common planes, the legs of said L-shaped platesreceived in said block having mutually registering apertures thereinelongated longitudinally of said legs and said mounting block having atapped hole in the closed end thereof registering with the apertures insaid L-shaped plates, and'said screw means comprising a screw extendingthrough the apertures in said L-shaped plates and threaded through thetapped hole in the closed end of said block with its head opposed to theside of said plurality of L-shaped plates remote from the closed end ofsaid block.

MURRAY GOLDSTEIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the

